The Legacy (12 page)

He eased her panties down her legs and off her feet. The picture she made, her hair spread out around her, intensified every emotion he was feeling. She was alluring colors, shapes, and textures. She was woman—his woman—with long lovely legs and the cinnamon triangle of hair at the apex of her thighs. “I need to see all of you,” he said, his voice a hoarse, desperate whisper, his endurance almost at an end.

“Yes." She lifted the pink-satin chemise over her head, then lay back.

The sight of her struck awe into his soul. The golden hue of her skin had never been more distinctive than it was against the cream coverlet. Her luminosity was almost blinding.

He stripped off his sweater and bent to brush his lips against the hair between her legs. Involuntarily, her muscles contracted and her hips moved, giving him a deep satisfaction and reminding him that the most sensitive, most secret part of her awaited. His hand began to stroke her gently while his mouth fastened on the taut peak of her breast. His hunger for her was almost excruciating, but he was intent on making this the most pleasurable experience of her life, and he set about using all his efforts to that purpose.

She gripped his shoulders as a shudder of rapture tore through her. His every caress and kiss sent wildfire through her veins. He lathed her nipple with his tongue, and she felt as if she was going to spiral away.

Suddenly, urgently, Nico shifted and rose over her. “There’s so much I want to do to you and with you,” he said, his breathing rapid and uneven.

“Show me.”

Caught in a savage tension, he gave a rough laugh. “We’re going to need all night.”

“We have that, and more.”

“Not now.
Now
I’ve run out of time. . . .’’He quickly undressed, moved over and into her. She was ready, but he wasn’t. He’d thought he’d known passion before, but he’d been wrong. Once completely sheathed inside her sweet tightness, a wall of fire crashed over him, debilitating him, sucking all strength and air from his body, leaving nothing but a pulsing, merciless need, and he had to pause to catch his breath. For a moment, he was helpless against the incredible onslaught of feelings. Was it remotely possible that it could always be like this? he wondered. The thought was almost impossible to believe. But his answer came when she began to undulate and strain against him. A driving force took possession of him, and he knew that it would be.

A floodgate opened, sending unbelievable pleasure in cascades over them, drenching them with ecstasy until they were saturated and could take no more.

The candles burned lower and lower, their flames dancing unnoticed in the heated air. And there was no relief from the rapture. It continued through the night.

Gradually, one by one, the candles guttered down and went out. Finally, at dawn’s first light, Nico and Caitlin fell asleep, tangled together, arms and legs, hearts and minds, bodies and souls.

Caitlin’s hair spilled over one bare shoulder in a shining fall as she came up on her elbow and gazed down on Nico’s sleeping face. The wariness had come back over him while he slept, but she wasn’t concerned. Last night they had shared something extraordinary, and all her doubts and confusion had vanished.

Through his lovemaking, she’d learned that he was a giving, generous, caring person. She’d learned that he could be both gentle and strong, tender and erotically rough. And if when he opened his eyes this morning and looked at her, she saw an expression that was difficult to read, she wouldn’t worry. She’d learned he cared for her, and she believed with all her heart that love could grow from caring.

Adoringly, her gaze strayed over him, stopping to study the leanly muscled torso and the broad chest covered with a mat of curly black hair. At times in the night she had lain limply on his chest, fighting for breath and covered in sweat. He had soothed her, murmuring reassurance. And then they had started again.

A brief frown creased her forehead as she noticed the two angry red scars—aberrant marks against the perfection of his sleek, dark skin. The position of his body prevented her from seeing the entire length of the wounds, but she remembered their ridged feel beneath her fingertips. When she thought of the damage the bullets had done to his body, she gave thanks that he had escaped with only scars.

She reached out a hand to smooth a dark lock from his brow. His long thick lashes lifted to reveal warm smiling brown eyes.

“Did I wake you?” she asked.

“Yes. Did you intend to?”

She grinned. "Yes. I decided as long as I was awake, you should be awake too.”

“That’s what you decided, was it?”

She nodded, enjoying his morning voice. It had the relaxed, husky timbre of intimacy. “It’s nice watching you. You wake gently, as if you’re saving your strength for what will come next.”

“What do you think will come next?”

A sudden erotic urge flashed through her. “Something wonderful,” she murmured, and was taken completely by surprise as he shifted his position, cupped one of her breasts with his long fingers, and drew the nipple into his mouth. Her head went back, and her eyelids fluttered closed as an all-consuming heat took possession of her. He tugged and teased at the tormented point until she gasped and cried out. Then he pulled her mouth down to his and kissed her long and deep.

“Good morning,” he said when he was done.

She slid down beside him, facing him, and threw her leg over his hip. She didn’t know what time it was, and she didn’t care. Activity had probably begun in other parts of the house, and decisions were waiting to be made. But she didn’t care about that either. He controlled her. And if he wanted, she’d stay in this bed forever. “Promise me we can always wake up together like this.”

A low growl came from his throat. He pushed her over onto her back and surged powerfully and deeply into her, his muscles now coiled, his expression savage with desire. “If I have anything to say about it, we will.”

She choked back a cry, wrapped herself around him, and let the wildness begin.

A long time later, the harsh, insistent sound of knocking and a faraway voice pierced through the softness of her dreams. She felt the mattress shift with Nico’s weight as he sat up. Rubbing her eyes clear of sleep, she saw that he was pulling on a pair of pants. “Who is it?”

“Ramona. You stay put. You don’t want to shock her.” He pressed a quick kiss to her mouth, and without taking the time to fasten his pants, he got up and crossed the room. He opened the door only a few inches, angling it so that the view of the bed was shielded.

“Nico, I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m trying to find Caitlin.”

Swiftly he tossed various options around in his head, but found none he liked. How in hell could he ease Ramona’s mind while protecting the reputation of the woman in his bed? “Caitlin?” he repeated.

“I think I told you that she never eats breakfast, but she usually checks in with me sometime during the morning. When she didn’t, I went looking for her. Mr. Haines hasn’t seen her, and neither have any of the men. Then I checked her bedroom. Nico, there was a
fire
 in there.”

He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. The fire couldn’t be explained away. “Yes, I know.”

“You
know?"

“I helped her put it out.”

“Was she hurt? Where in the world is she?”

“I’m right here, Ramona.” Caitlin pulled the door from Nico’s grasp and swung it open. “And no, I wasn't hurt. ”

Ramona’s eyes widened as she took in Caitlin, wrapped in nothing but a sheet and standing next to a half-dressed Nico.

“I knocked a candelabrum over in my room last night, and the candles caught the drapes on fire. Luckily, Nico was passing by, and he put it out. Then, of course, I needed a place to sleep.”

“Of course,” Ramona said.

“We’re sorry if we shocked you,” Nico told her. “You didn’t shock me,” Ramona said gruffly. “I was just worried about Caitlin, that’s all.”

“Well, I’m sorry I worried you. I should have let you know where I was, but ...” She cast a helpless glance at Nico, who merely grinned back at her.

“Never mind,” Ramona said, back to her brisk, no-nonsense self. “Now that I know you’re all right, I’ll get started cleaning up your room.”

“Those drapes are heavy,” Nico said. “Just leave them, and I’ll take care of them.”

“Never mind. One of the men will help me. In the meantime, I’ll air out another bedroom. I don’t think you 'll want to sleep in there until the smoke damage has been seen to, do you, Caitlin?”

“No. You’re absolutely right. ”

Ramona nodded and looked at Nico. “Can I assume you won’t be leaving this morning?”

“Uh, yes, I won’t be leaving this morning.”

“Fine. Caitlin, later, when you get ready to move your things, you come and get me if you want help.”

“I’ll do that,” Caitlin said.

Ramona turned on her heel and strode off. Nico shut the door. For perhaps thirty seconds, he and Caitlin stared at each other, then burst out laughing.

“Poor Ramona,” he said.

“Shell be all right. She’s seen a lot in her life. I’m sure she was more embarrassed than shocked.”

“I think I just fell off her list of people she likes,” he said, steering her against the door and at the same time, unzipping his pants.

Caitlin’s sheet slipped unnoticed to the floor as she wrapped her arms around his neck and gazed lovingly up at him. “Not at all. You wait. Next time she sees you, shell be back to normal. In fact, I’m sure she plans to ignore the whole thing, as if it never happened.”

“And she’s going to prepare another room for you and move all of your things in, so that at night she can think of you in there rather than in here with me.”

Caitlin nodded. “You got it.”

He pushed his pants down, out of the way. Then with his hands cupping her bare buttocks, he lifted her, sliding her spine up the door until their eyes were level. “But you
will
be in here with me, won’t you?”

She circled his body with her legs and threaded her fingers up into his hair. “Unless you kick me out.”

“Me?” he said and pushed high into her. “Lord, you’ve gotta be kidding.”

Later that afternoon, Caitlin descended the grand staircase, with Nico beside her.

“I’m no expert, but I’m willing to bet this embroidery is going to be expensive to reproduce,” Nico was saying regarding the piece of undamaged drapery they had salvaged from Caitlin’s bedroom.

Caitlin’s happiness was so pervasive, even the damage didn’t trouble her. They made the turn on the landing in front of the Tiffany window and started down the last flight of stairs. “IH shop around. I don’t want to have to settle for the
feeling
of the original. If at all possible, I want it to be exactly the same as the original.”

“You know, Caitlin,” he said, humor threading his voice, “most people involved with restorations are content to use fabrics and furnishings that are of the
type
of the period.”

“But this is SwanSea.”

Nico smiled wryly. “Right. How could I have forgotten?”

Caitlin laughed. “I admit it. I’m obsessive.”

“Be obsessive about me, and I won’t mind a bit.” One minute he was smiling down at her; the next, he had tensed. “Looks like you have a visitor,” he said, indicating the silver-haired man standing just inside the front doors. “Is he the electrical inspector you were waiting for?”

“Could be. I guess I’d better go check.”

“I think I’ll come with you to meet him if you don’t mind.”

“Of course I don’t.”

As she crossed the wide stretch of marble toward the newcomer, Caitlin studied him. An older man, he was fashionably dressed in taupe-colored linen slacks, an open-necked blue shirt, and a navy sport coat. Tall and well built, he had hazel eyes and an attractive, slightly weathered face that made it impossible to guess his exact age. She supposed he was one of those fortunate men who seemed to stop aging in their forties and then began again sometime in their sixties. Nico would probably be one of those men, she thought idly.

As she drew near, she realized with amusement that he was studying her as closely as she had been studying him. “I'm Caitlin DevereU, and this is Nico DiFrenza. May I help you?”

“I’m Quinn O’Neill,” he said, nodding to Nico and extending his hand to her, “and I’m delighted to meet you.”

“How do you do,” she said, shaking his hand. “I assume you’re the electrical inspector?”

Humor flashed in his eyes. “No, no. I’m afraid not. I’m just a long-time admirer of the house. I’m on holiday in the area, and I thought I’d take the opportunity to stop by.”

He spoke without an accent, yet used a European-flavored phrase. Caitlin decided he must have lived overseas for a time. “I’m sorry, Mr. O’Neill, but SwanSea isn’t open yet.”

He nodded, his expression intent. “I can see that you’re in the middle of work. When do you plan to open?”

“Next spring.”

“So long?”

His tone carried a hint of wistfulness, and his manner conveyed a warmth that Caitlin responded to.

He grinned. “You’ll have to forgive me. I’m really disappointed. I had hoped I could stay here for a few days.”

Caitlin was tempted to laugh. Two men with the same wish in such a short time. Apparently she was going to have no trouble booking guests. “You wouldn’t want to stay here now, believe me. Things are a real mess. We don’t even have electricity at the moment.”

“I really wouldn’t mind. You see, I stayed here once a long time ago.”

Caitlin’s interest sharpened. “Really? When?”

“I can’t remember exactly ... as I said, it was many years ago. But I’ve always remembered SwanSea as a very special place.”

“Were you here visiting my grandfather?”

Quinn nodded. “Jake was a wonderful man. I was sorry to hear of his death.”

“Thank you.”

Standing beside Caitlin, Nico realized his shoulders were tensed and his instincts were telling him to be wary. He’d felt this way before in the presence of dangerous men. But he had to wonder, could he trust his instincts in this situation? Or was he simply experiencing the prickly awareness one male feels when another enters his territory? Out of the comer of his eyes, he saw Ramona approaching. She came to a stop near him and listened.